Lensmann
Lensmann in modern Norwegian or lensmand in Danish and older Norwegian spelling (lit. fief man; Old Norwegian: lénsmaðr) is a term with several distinct meanings in Scandinavian history. The Icelandic equivalent was a hreppstjóri.
Fief-holder
The term lensmann traditionally referred to a holder of a royal fief in Denmark and Norway. As the fiefs were renamed amt in 1662, the term lensmand was replaced with amtmand. In Norway the office of lensmand and later amtmand evolved into the modern fylkesmann office. By modern Norwegian historians, the term lensherre (English: fief lord) is often used instead of lensmann, although from the legal point of view, the king was the fief lord, and the title used by contemporaries was lensmand, not lensherre.[1]
Differences between lensmann and amtmann
While the lensmann was a fief-holder from the nobility, the amtmann was a civil servant that might be ennobled as a reward.
| Office | Lensmand | Amtmand |
|---|---|---|
| General governing power | Yes | No |
| Military commander | Yes | No |
| Tax collector | Yes | No |
| Fiscal accountability | No | Yes |
| Source: | [2] | |
Modern police officer
The title lensmann is also used in an entirely different meaning in modern Norway, denoting the leader of a rural police district known as lensmannsdistrikt.[3]
See also
- Länsman
- Sheriff
References
- ↑ Mikael Berglund, Cross-border Enforcement of Claims in the EU: History, Present Time and Future, ISBN 9041128611, 2009, page 101
- ↑ Steinar Imsen & Harald Winge (1999). Norsk historisk lexikon. Oslo: Cappelen Akademisk Forlag, p. 21.
- ↑ Stortingsmelding nr 22 (2000-2201) punkt 3